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A collision between a bus and an SUV resulted in the death of Prison Officer, Juvencio Serrano Jr., last weekend.

The fatal accident occurred on Saturday, January 26, 2013, at about 7:00 a.m., when a red SUV Forerunner vehicle, driven by Serrano, collided into a Tillett’s Bus which was travelling from Belize City to Chetumal.

Given the condition of the wet roads, the quick thinking of the bus driver, 58-year-old Carlos Herrera, helped to save the lives of those onboard the bus.

According to bus passenger and eyewitness, Anita Nembhard, the 70-seater bus was full with no standees in the aisle.

“Everything happened so fast and on impact, all you could hear was the screaming, crying and panic of the passengers including the conductor who was heard yelling for all to leavethe bus immediately,” recalledNembhard.

The collision caused the front end of the bus to be crushed, trapping the driver in his seat and the malfunction of the back door, trapping passengers inside the bus. The injured conductor later went to the rescue and pried the back door open, allowing passengers to leave the bus through the rear door.

Several passengers were injured,with broken noses and lacerations on the face. Many were visibly disoriented after the accident but within minutes gathered around to help each other until the BERT arrived on the scene.

The driver of the bus was eventually released for the bus’s mangled metal, to reveal he had sustained broken arms and foot.

He was rushed to the Orange Walk Hospital where he received treatment.